A Trip to the Grocery Store
Liliana Cervantes works as a paralegal for a criminal law office. She's taken an interest in writing in the last year and has been exploring many genres with writing classes at Lighthouse Writers Workshop, The Denver Performing Arts Center, and Rise Comedy.
"I wrote this piece at the beginning of the pandemic with my grandmother in mind who is eighty-nine years old," Cervantes said. "I wanted to emphasize the struggles that she, and fellow older adults encounter on a daily basis, but even more so now during this pandemic."
"My hope is to bring mindfulness to this community, particularly during these trying times," she said. "My word for this piece is hope."
Liliana Cervantes
A Trip to The Grocery Store
I can see a bright light shining through my closed eyes, I slowly detach my eye lids from one another and lay there for a few seconds longer, trying to think of what day it could be. I sit up and look at the big white clock across the room, in big red numbers the display reads 10:00am 4/15/2020.
My body aches all of the time now, I’ve learned to accept that this is a part of the aging process and nothing can be done about it. I slowly get out of bed and put my feet into my slippers and head to the restroom, I turn the faucet on to wash my face and brush my teeth. I grab a comb and run it through my long thin gray hair, and wrap it in a bun, I attach bobby pins to the sides of my head, to hold those little hairs in place.
I walk over to my closet to pick out an outfit for the day. I come across a vinaceous skirt I forgot I owned, the skirt is so colorful that it instantly puts a smile on my face. A couple of memories come rushing and I can’t help but to let them take me away for a brief moment. I pair that vinaceous skirt with a white long sleeve blouse and a pair of black pantyhose. I take a look at myself in the mirror and say, “Today is my day, I can just feel it.”
I walk over to the refrigerator and move the corn shaped magnet holding my grocery list in place. The paper is a bit wrinkled so I stretch it out to make it readable, the list contains the same items from my last few trips to the grocery store, milk, eggs, cheese, and Ensures. I’ve not been able to cross any of those items off of my list for days now, but today is the day, I just know it.
I want to know what the weather’s going to be like before I head out, so I go to the living room and turn the TV on. A newscaster appears on the screen saying “The panic buying doesn’t seem to be slowing down in the Denver metro area, as you can see people are buying in bulk, uncertain of what the future holds for this country. Let’s talk to this gentleman coming out of the store. Hi sir! What’s your name?” “Gus.” “Hi Gus, wow! You’ve got a full cart, I see gallons of milk, packets of cheese, cartons of eggs and Ensures. Do you have a big family?” “No, it’s just me and my girlfriend, just preparing for the worst you know, it’s better to be safe than sorry.” “I suppose you’re right...” I walk up to the TV and turn it off, “I’ll just take a sweater.”
I slowly walk over to the closet located near the front door and grab my purse and sweater. I open up my purse to make sure my money is still inside it, I then place the grocery list inside and zip it up. While I’m at it, I take my slippers off and put my black shiny loafers on, now I’m ready for the day. I open the door and walk two stairs down to exit my apartment.
I begin my walk to the store, although the store is only about three blocks away, it takes me about twenty minutes or so to get there. I reach the cross walk and wait for the light to turn green, I get so nervous crossing as it’s a very busy intersection. The light turns green and I begin to walk, I think to myself “Oh how I wish I could walk faster, maybe even jog.” but my body just won’t let me, no matter how hard I try. I feel the breeze on the back of my legs from a fast turning car, I tell myself “you’re almost there.” Once I safely make to the other side, I notice a lot of cars in the parking lot, don’t think I’ve seen it this packed since the holidays, I just hope I’m not too late.
I proceed timorously through the entrance and spot what seems like the last shopping cart in the world. I walk towards it but before I can reach it, it’s taken by a young woman talking on her cell phone, she’s so caught up in her conversation that she didn’t see me going for that same cart. I hear her say to whomever is on the other end “Darling I’m getting stuff to make dinner, it’s so busy I barely found a shopping cart, can you believe it? It’s ridiculous how out of hand things are getting” I just stared at her in disbelief and lost for words, but I quickly get over it, after all today is my day. I head over to where the baskets are usually stacked but don’t see any, I’ll just have to carry what I can.
My hands are a bit shaky as I open up my purse to take out my grocery list, I head over to the dairy isle only to see signs that read “Please be considerate and only take three dairy products, IF NECESSARY” posted in front of glass doors that stock nothing behind them. I begin feel like this trip had become bootless, and for a quick moment I feel sadness overcoming me that almost brings me to tears, but I don’t let myself give into those feelings, after all I do have one more thing on my list to check on.
As I’m walking over to the isle where the Ensures are kept, I’m praying and hoping I at least find one, one thing I can cross off of my list.
I find myself standing right in front of the shelfs where the Ensures are stacked, at first glance I don’t see any. I slowly scan my eyes from top to bottom and spot an eight pack of Ensures on the bottom shelf, I can’t help but to feel overwhelming joy. I slowly bend down and ambidextrously pick it up and head over to the register. I patiently wait in line behind the woman who beat me to the shopping cart. I can’t help but to look inside her cart, I see that she was able to grab most of the items I had on my list. I couldn’t help but to let my gustatory senses take ahold for a brief second, before I know it, it is my turn to be rung up.
The cashier says to me, “Just the one item?’ “Yes, just the Ensures, it’s all I could find from my list.” “What was on your list?” “Oh, you know basic things like eggs, cheese and milk, I’ve already stopped by a few times, and can’t seem to get here in time to get any.” “Oh, I’m so sorry you didn’t find any more items on your list, things are just flying off the shelf nowadays.” “I can see that, the world has changed so much in just two weeks.”
The cashier double bags the Ensures and hands them over to me and says, “You have a good day and be careful out there, I hope next time you come in you’re able to find those items.” I grab the bag with both of my hands and head for the exit. As I’m walking, I can’t help but to look around me, when I do all I see is panic, worry and loss of hope on people’s faces, a couple of tears roll down my cheeks and can’t help but to feel saddened at what the world has become.
I walk out of the store and begin to make my way home, I suddenly hear someone yelling loudly behind me “Ma’am, Ma’am.” I didn’t think the yelling was for me so I didn’t turn around. I hear it a few more times and then decide to turned around. I see a very young woman walking towards me, she stops and says “I’m glad I reached you before I lost you.” “Oh, dear I walk too slow for that to happen, it would take me about a half an hour to disappear from the sight of anyone.”
The young woman chuckles and says, “I overheard what you told the cashier back there.” She hands me two plastic bags and says, “I would like for you to have these, please take them.” “Are you sure?” “Most definitely, I’ll come across them again at some point.” “Oh, thank you child, thank you!” “Of course, we have to watch out for one another, right?" “Right.” She takes off and I think to myself as I look up at the welkin and see the sun emerging from the clouds, today was my day after all.